Germany's Scholz seeks closer ties in China visit

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told President Xi Jinping he wished to deepen economic cooperation, on a trip to Beijing that has prompted criticism over Berlin's heavy reliance on an increasingly authoritarian China.

Scholz is the first G7 leader to visit China since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, which has seen the world's number two economy largely close its borders.

But the trip has sparked controversy, coming so soon after Xi strengthened his hold on power and as tensions run high between the West and Beijing on issues ranging from Taiwan to alleged human rights abuses.

Received by Xi at the Great Hall of the People shortly after arriving in Beijing, Scholz said he was seeking to "further develop" economic cooperation while alluding to areas of disagreement.

"It is good that we are able to have an exchange here about all questions, including those questions where we have different perspectives -- that's what an exchange is for," Scholz said.

"We also want to talk about how we can further develop our economic cooperation on other topics: climate change, food security, indebted countries."

Xi said he believed the visit would "enhance mutual understanding and mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation in various fields, and create sound plans for the development of China-Germany relations in the next stage".

Scholz is also set to meet Premier Li Keqiang on the one-day trip, on which he is being accompanied by top business executives.